Tim Murray used to sip coffee in cold rinks as a National Hockey League scout before he became an NHL general manager, so the Buffalo Sabres boss has a good feel for the instant impact of today’s kids on the game.

How are Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews so good, so quickly?

Matthews scores four goals in his first NHL game, McDavid has six points in his first two games this year and is already a captain at 19. Patrik Laine gets a hat-trick in his fourth NHL affair in Winnipeg, Jack Eichel is the first-line centre in Buffalo and the diminutive Johnny Gaudreau is a giant talent in Calgary.

Not just them but defenceman Aaron Ekblad in Florida, already an acknowledged No. 1 guy at 20.

The entire NHL, really, is an overage junior league.

Youth is being served. Kids squeezing out 27- and 28-year-old players if they lose half a step.

How are they all doing it?

“Because they’re fast and skilled and good,” said Murray, answering the obvious.

“They go 12 months a year now. They all have their nutrition guy, their skill guy, but mostly, they’ve grown up with the speed, and with their skill, they can step right in,” said Carolina Hurricanes GM Ron Francis, who broke into the NHL at 18 with Hartford as the fourth overall pick.

“Kids are more ready now. They aren’t playing ball or soccer,” said Murray. “Very early, they know they’re elite hockey players and it’s a full-time gig. They’re going to different camps in the summer time, not just the teams that drafted them in the NHL. They all have personal coaches and parents are paying a lot of money and it’s producing a better athlete … more kids ready to play at 18 and 19 years old.

Not every draft turns out a generational player or a foundational player, but there are so many young kids making NHL teams in significant roles long before they’re 21.

While their play speaks volumes, Francis can remember the silent treatment as a rookie.

“My first roommate was Dave Keon, who was 41. I tell the story he didn’t talk to me for the first month on the road,” said Francis. “It was a different era back then. Kids never thought of getting on the elevator first or the plane first. You had to earn the respect of the veteran players.”

“David was watching me and making a decision. I can’t complain. I was handed a first-line job.”

When did Keon finally talk to the Hall of Famer Francis?

“One night, he came into the room and looked over at me and said ‘how old are you anyway, kid?’ I said I was 18. He said ‘I’ve got three kids older than you’ and we turned out the lights and went to bed. David and I are great friends now.”

Murray said he doesn’t have all the answers for the question of instant gratification for some of these kids. But, he knows when you draft a first-rounder now, they can make your team. Now.

“The kids are fast and train specifically for this sport,” said Murray. “I know Gretzky and others have said kids should play other sports and I agree with it, but the reality is they don’t.

“I don’t expect every player who’s picked in say the top six in the draft to make a team but I expect them (18-year-olds) to push for a job. They don’t come in overwhelmed or intimidated. They aren’t looking good at the rookie camp, then after two exhibition games they’re in over their head. Those days are over.”

“Am I shocked at how good Matthews is? No. He was a little out of sight, out of mind last year playing in Switzerland last year. The casual fan doesn’t see him. He wasn’t Jack (Eichel) at BU (Boston University) or Connor at Erie (junior Otters),” said Murray.

“But Auston got to play with men in a really good league. In Switzerland, they play the game right. He got strong, fewer games, more practices. Seemed to be the perfect storm for him.”

“His four goals (first game) is one for the ages. I hope that’s not the expectation every night being in Toronto. But he’s another great, young player. Look at that under-24 team at the World Cup. Maybe in our league, we’ll go back to a more high-scoring game, too.”

The NHL has never been faster as kids push out older players earlier. Part of it is kids are cheaper with their first contracts than established NHLers, but also, they’re often better.

“You’re a little bit in awe of what you’re seeing with these kids,” said Buffalo coach Dan Bylsma, who had Sidney Crosby in his formative years in Pittsburgh when they won their first Cup.

“To see the guys on the bench and as a fan, you’re taken aback at the change in the game.”

“The speed with which it’s being played by these guys. That’s a significant improvement.”

“They come in and they provide offence and they sell tickets,” said Carolina coach Bill Peters.

“We need more goals in our game.”

And that’s a coach talking.

Junior experience helped prepare Hitchcock for star treatments

Ken Hitchcock has Nail Yakupov on his team now and says he’s worked with some highly-talented people and he’s figured out how the coach and offensive guys can work together.

Going back, as Hitchcock says, to former NHLer and current CHED 630 Oilers game analyst Rob Brown when they were in junior in Kamloops.

“I learned a lot from dealing with Rob. I wanted him to pay attention to a certain element and as he did that, he lost everything else. Finally, I said ‘what you’re strong at do, and the other will take care of itself’ because he was so competitive,” said Hitchcock.

“It made for a helluva relationship. He was a special player with a special skill-set.

“Dealing with Rob helped me deal with Mike Modano and Brett Hull (Dallas), instead of trying to grind them into a hole they wouldn’t fit in.”

Boudreau endures theft, damage during move to Minnesota

Wild coach Bruce Boudreau went through a horror show move from his off-season home in Hershey, Pa., with stuff stolen en route, including a safe with his two Memorial Cup junior championship rings, an AHL Hall of Fame ring and a Rolex from Capitals owner Ted Leonsis.

Also some very valuable comic books. As Boudreau told Wild beat scribe Mike Russo, there were Spider-Man Amazing Fantasy comic books. “Spider-Man No. 1 Amazing Fantasy is worth well over $1 million in mint condition. Now, this wasn’t in mint but it was in good,’’’ said Boudreau.

Some household items were also destroyed when one of the three trucks had an accident.

“We lost five big-screen TVs, a bubble hockey game, popcorn makers, tables. My wife used to run a business, they called her the Chocolate Lady. The chocolate fountain was destroyed. So much stuff, pictures, lots of pictures, all the frames destroyed,” said Boudreau.

Matty’s short shifts

*Ex-Oilers goalie Curtis Joseph was hired by Carolina this year to be their pro development netminder coach. He’ll be watching their Charlotte farm team to see if he likes the gig.

*The Winnipeg Jets are in no hurry to trade Ondrej Pavelec, even if the L.A. Kings called because Jonathan Quick is out until the New Year with a serious groin problem. The Jets aren’t completely sold on their younger goalies Connor Hellebuyck or Michael Hutchinson, and want Pavelec as insurance.

*Every day, the Las Vegas expansion entry doesn’t have a team name, it means they’re losing thousands on merchandise sales, or am I wrong? It’s going to be (Blank) Knights. What’s keeping them?

*NBC is the NHL’s carrier in the U.S. but McDavid isn’t on the network once this season. You can catch the Flyers about 20 times, though. What are they thinking?

*When Wayne Gretzky had his family in tow for the statue unveiling, tennis-playing daughter Emma, 13, spent some time at the Saville Centre hitting balls. Gretzky couldn’t hang around for Glen Sather’s banner night last December here because he was flying to see Emma in the international Orange Bowl tournament in Florida.

*Should be interesting to see where Vegas puts its AHL farm club next year. Lots of people figure it’ll be in Reno, if a rink gets built, and be part of the Pacific Division along with the California affiliates and Tucson in Arizona. But there’s also been talk of an ECHL affiliate there.

*Jari Kurri said his longtime friend Matti Hagman wasn’t just a hockey player. He could really run. “People don’t know this but he had times under 50 seconds in the 400 metre,” said the Helsinki Jokerit GM and Hockey Hall of Fame selection committee member Kurri while in town for last week’s Gretzky statue unveiling at Rogers Place. He made a quick trip back to Helsinki for two games with his KHL team and then he’s off to Winnipeg for the Heritage Classic outdoor legends game.

*Mark Arcobello leads the Swiss League in scoring with nine goals in his first 11 games in Bern. Ben Scrivens is doing just fine in the KHL, in the Belarus city of Minsk, thank you. The ex-Oilers goalie, who really should be in the NHL as a backup, has played 17 games with a 2.37 average and a .919 save percentage. Teammate Rob Klinkhammer is hurt, though. Winger Vladimir Tkachev, such a big hit at Oilers’ camp three years ago, is 10th in league scoring in the KHL with Vladivostok.

Comments

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.

Almost Done!

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Market to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.